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China is still a relatively poor country (1). I lived in Shanghai for a few years back, and even if you just go into the side streets a few blocks from the ric
by anthonyleecook 9y ago
China is still a relatively poor country (1). I lived in Shanghai for a few years back, and even if you just go into the side streets a few blocks from the richest area in Shanghai (Pudong, Huangpu), you can see slums and sometimes dead people lying in the streets with no assistance. And if you go 10 minutes out of the richest areas, you have people living in hutongs and communist-style buildings with low level life qualities.
The problem is that these immigrants will never be able to become a first-tier city citizen, due to hukou. The government is trying to move these people into empty buildings in second tiered cities, but there are no jobs there. (thus alot of these migrants actually moved back to the farms last I heard)
1.) Statistica says that in 2016, China rural households only made about $1000/year. and urban households only made about $3000/year.
(https://www.statista.com/statistics/259451/annual-per-capita-disposable-income-of-rural-and-urban-households-in-china/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/259451/annual-per-capita...)
- taoistextremist 9y agoAre hutongs really all that bad there? When I was in Beijing, they were nice areas typically, albeit they smelled worse because of things like drainage not running as low, but overall it didn't seem terrible and many of them were pretty big areas for local business. I ask because I always thought Shanghai was more developed pretty much everywhere in comparison to Beijing. I mean, I'm sure the actual commie-blocks were the same (I visited one that was actual nearer to the center of the city and it was ridiculously run-down) but hutongs often consist of people living in houses their grandparents' grandparents once lived in, so they're usually reasonably well kept.
- anthonyleecook 9y agoThe qualities will vary, of course, but the bad hutongs can mean 1.) shared outhouse (no indoor toilet) 2.) dilapidated building 3.) communal politics from what I've heard (hutong grudges and fights for example) 4.) poor immigrant families stuffed into a small room I don't know much about Beijing, but I found a good article on it: http://designhotpot.com/infographic-four-perspectives-to-understand-life-in-beijings-hutong/ http://designhotpot.com/infographic-four-perspectives-to-und...
- kkarakk 9y agobasically recreating criminal "hoods" but in the megablock style of judge dredd
- capsulehotel 9y agoThere are no hutongs in Shanghai. The guy is obviously an anti China shill spreadign lies with his 2 hour old shill account. There are longtangs, but there are very few of them left. Most got torn down to make space, some were preserved and turned into tourist attractions like Tianzifang.
- capsulehotel 9y ago>you can see slums and sometimes dead people lying in the streets with no assistance hahaha nice try anti China shill with your 2 hour old shill account, Shanghai isn't India or Africa. This guy obviously has never been to Shanghai. There are neither slums or dead people. Low skilled migrant workers just like mexicans back in the US sometimes live in rundown apartments stacked 10 deep but the government has recently banned that as well.
- anthonyleecook 9y agoExcuse me, I've seen many dead bodies in shanghai, lying out on the streets for everyone to see. One of the most memorable one is there was a guy laying face down lifeless, his legs covered in gangrene, about a block away from a busy metro station construction. He must have been there for days.
- capsulehotel 9y agoSure thing bro, you seem to have unpleasant dreams.
- baybal2 9y agoYeah, but Shanghai has nice public toilets. Dead bodies around are bad, but properly working public toilets are a very, very big, unthinkably big advancement over other Chinese cities.
- capsulehotel 9y agoIdk where you have been but in second tier cities I have seen public toilets as well. Maybe not on the outskirts but in central areas for sure.
- baybal2 9y agoGood for them! They advance leg in leg with big cities. What those towns were?